Secret recordings to be heard in celebrity AVO case

CELEBRITY accountant Anthony Bell has tried to have secret phone recordings of a fight between himself and estranged wife Kelly Landry excluded from their high-profile AVO hearing.

The recordings were apparently made last November during a fight between the couple in their $12.5 million mansion in Watsons Bay, in Sydney's east.

Mr Bell is contesting an interim AVO granted for Ms Landry in January after the former model and Getaway presenter filed a police report about an alleged incident in their home.

She applied for the interim AVO four days after Mr Bell won the Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Perpetual Loyal.

The hearing at the Downing Centre Local Court is expected to run all week.

Details of the recordings emerged only last Wednesday after Ms Landry, 37, made them known to prosecutors. Mr Bell's legal team were notified later that day.

There are two audio and two recordings of incidents between the couple.

Ian Temby QC, on behalf of Mr Bell, said the disclosure came months after the initial hearing in which Ms Landry was present and where evidence was called to be disclosed.

She had also signed four statements since then and none of them mentioned the recordings, and she "must have known" of their existence, Mr Temby said.

He revealed neither he or Mr Bell had heard the recordings, which were detailed in a newspaper report at the weekend.

Mr Temby said the release of the material was designed to harm Mr Bell's reputation and "material released without the court's authority should not be admitted as evidence".

Police prosecutor Laura Nightingale said there were four recordings, one of which was 10 minutes long.

She confirmed they related to the incident that was the catalyst for the complaint to police and the AVO application.

Any prejudice against Mr Bell was outweighed by the evidential value of the recordings, the court heard.

The recordings showed "real evidence of what actually occurred that evening" and in fact "corroborates her statements".

Magistrate Robert Williams proposed to allow the recordings in the interest "of fairness to both parties" but adjourned the hearing until later on Monday morning for Mr Bell and his legal team to listen to the recordings.